World Athletics Championships in London Set to Break Attendance Records

Organizers of the upcoming International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Championships in London are expecting a record attendance after revealing 660,000 tickets for the event have been sold.

London 2017 have also announced all remaining tickets for the Championships at the Olympic Stadium, including seats for Jamaican sprint king Usain Bolt’s final 100 meter race, are due to go on sale on Tuesday (August 1).

This includes all 14 competition sessions recouped from changes in Stadium requirements.

It will give spectators the opportunity to snap up tickets for Bolt’s last 100m race, as well as the women’s heptathlon on August 6, which will be preceded by Jessica Ennis-Hill receiving her reallocated gold medal from the 2011 IAAF World Championships in Daegu following the disqualification of Russia’s Tatyana Chernova.

“It is going to be a special night for me and I am honored that the IAAF and the organizers of the London World Championships have offered me the chance to receive my medal in front of the British fans,” London 2012 Olympic champion Ennis-Hill, who retired last year, said.

“The London Stadium is where I won Olympic gold in 2012 and I never thought I would be back in the stadium receiving another gold.

“I have fond memories of the podium in 2012 and I am looking forward to creating some more next month.”

More than a quarter-of-a-million fans are set to attend the opening weekend of competition due to begin on Friday (August 4).

The opening night, featuring Mo Farah’s bid for a third successive 10,000m title, has already sold out.

The previous highest attendance for an IAAF World Championships was at Berlin in 2009.

A total of 417,156 tickets were sold over the nine-day period for that event in the Olympic Stadium in the German capital.

“We are delighted that so many people are set to visit the London Stadium to be part of the IAAF World Championships this summer, but with tickets still available we want to make sure the message gets out there that there is still a chance to see the world’s best athletes in the world’s best stadium,” Championships Director Niels de Vos said.

“For those that missed out on the London 2012 Olympic or Paralympic Games this is really it, the best chance to see the stadium in that form once more and I cannot stress enough how amazing the action is going to be.”

The event at the Olympic Stadium on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is scheduled to last until August 13.

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